1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retainer package for a plurality of sutures and, more particularly, relates to a retainer package having a plurality of panel members which define individual suture compartments for storing sutures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Packaging of surgical needles and sutures requires that the needles be secured properly to prevent displacement, as well as being simply and quickly removable from their packages for use by the surgeon. Jarring or displacement of such sharp, needles will tend to dull their edges and reduce their effectiveness while increasing trauma to the patient during use.
Also it is desirable to package the needle/suture combinations in a manner where they are sufficiently separated for ready access to the user when they are needed. Moreover, the suture packages must be capable of receiving and holding sutures of various sizes while generally not affecting the quality, shape or strength of the suture in any way.
In general, a most significant objective in suture packaging is to store and maintain the relatively delicate ligatures in some form of spaced relation to each other so that access and removal of the suture may be readily available without adversely affecting the ligature or the needle as noted hereinabove. The present invention is directed to a suture package wherein a plurality of sutures may be stored in a single package while maintaining the individuality of each suture with respect to the others.